Some Things Take Time
by DoriSG1994
Summary: What would have happened if Voldemort had been killed that Halloween night so many years ago? How would it have affected the lives of the students of Hogwarts? The students must learn that sometimes things don't turn out the way that they planned. Be it a change for the better or a change for the worse, they must understand that some things take time to work themselves out.
1. Chapter 1

Platform 9 and 3/4 was bustling with excitement as the Hogwarts students prepared for another year at school. Students littered the pathway, catching up with their friends and retelling stories of their summer adventures. Hermione darted through the crowds searching for the familiar faces that she hadn't seen all summer. She had been on vacation in Spain with her parents while the Weasleys and the Potters went to Romania to visit Charlie. While they kept in touch with the owl post, it didn't compare to actual face-to-face contact. Finally, Hermione saw the group that she was looking for. She saw the untidy black hair that could only belong to Harry. Harry had his arm wrapped around the slender waist of his girlfriend Ginny, and Ron was off to the other side of Harry. Lastly, leaning against the wall was the tall blonde, Draco Malfoy. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were laughing at a joke that Draco had told when Hermione snuck up behind them.

"So, what's so funny?" Hermione asked the group. Ginny whipped around at the sound of her best friend's voice.

"Oh. My. God." Ginny exclaimed enunciating each word, her voice becoming increasingly louder with each syllable, "'Mione? Is that you?" she questioned, taking in the appearance of the brown-haired witch that stood in front of her.

"The one and only." Hermione joked, "Why, do I look different?" she asked, playing dumb for the first time in her life, "And since when do you know who God is?"

"Hey, I do have a muggle-born best friend and a boyfriend who was raised by muggles, you know, I've got to keep up with you two. And you look amazing! No better than that, you look fantastic. Turn around so that I can get the full view." Ginny demanded.

Slowly, Hermione turned in a circle to show the group in front of her her transformation. Gone was the bushy, mousy hair that once consumed her face. Now, it was replaced with silky ringlets that fell halfway down her back. Her old wardrobe of loosely fitting shirts and skirts that fell to the knee had disappeared and was replaced with stylish dark-wash skinny jeans and a fitted top. To top it all off, Hermione's skin was glowing from the slight tan obtained from the summer sun that had stained her usually pale skin.

"So I take it that Spain agreed with you 'Mione?" Ron asked with a slight bit of humor in his voice.

"Spain was AMAZING! The beaches, the nightlife, the shopping..." Hermione listed off "And the boys," she added to Ginny with a smirk.

"Well then, I might just have to give Spain a visit." Ginny chuckled as Harry tightened his grip around her waist and exclaimed a "HEY" in defiance.

"I'm only kidding, love" Ginny said, as she turned in Harry's arms to place a small kiss on his lips. Harry responded quickly and as the two started snogging, Draco, Ron, and Hermione walked further down the platform in order to give the two some privacy.

"So 'Mione," Draco started "You come back from Spain after not seeing us for the whole summer and you can't even be bothered to give your best friend a hug?"

"You're right. When Harry finishes snogging Ginny, remind me to give him a hug," she responded.

"Ah Granger, you wound me," Draco said dramatically as he placed his hand over his heart.

"I'm only kidding," Hermione giggled as she opened her arms. Right before she went in to hug Draco, she turned and called out for Ron who quickly came into her embrace.

"Now, I hugged Ron and I'm certainly not going to hug either Harry or Ginny while their snogging, and Neville and Luna aren't here yet, so I guess there is no one else left to hug." Hermione said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Oh Granger, you kill me with your humor," Draco dead panned "Now, get over here before I unfriend you."

Hermione giggled and went over to Draco with open arms. As she settled in his embrace, Draco picked her up and spun her in a circle, causing Hermione to let out a slight squeal from the surprise. As he set her back down, Harry and Ginny walked over to join the group once more.

"So anything else interesting happen this summer Hermione?" Ginny questioned.

"Let's see..." Hermione paused. "So I went to Spain, got my hair fixed, got a letter stating I was Head Girl this year, got a new wardrobe, went out on some dates...you know, nothing big or exciting."

"Wait, backtrack that..." Ginny demanded. "YOU GOT HEAD GIRL!" Ginny practically screeched into her ear.

"Yeah, pretty awesome right?" Hermione said, her grin growing wider with each word.

"So, do you know who Head Boy is?" Ron questioned.

"No, not yet," Hermione said. "Is it either of you two?" She questioned, pointing at Harry and Ron.

"Hermione, you've seen me and Ron try to do our homework, right? I'm pretty sure neither of us would have passed first year without you editing our essays or helping us with our homework. I mean, you've seen our grades, we get E's at best, usually they're A's or P's. Do you seriously think that either of us could have been chosen as Head Boy? And besides, with me and Ron co-captaining the Quidditch team, we really wouldn't have time to do head activities," Harry stated.

"Yeah, I guess that I didn't think about it that way." Hermione said, slightly crestfallen at the fact that neither of them would share her duties with her.

"Well, maybe it's a Ravenclaw?" Ginny suggested. "I mean they are known for their intelligence, aren't they?"

"Nope," responded Draco, "I have inside information. I know for a fact that Head Boy is a Slytherin this year."

"How do you know that?" Hermione questioned.

"Slytherins know everything, my darling." Draco stated as he walked towards the Hogwarts Express. "Now we really must be headed towards the train. I mean, it's almost time for the train to depart and we really don't want to be left on the platform." He then turned and went on the train to find a compartment for the five of them, leaving Hermione wondering which of the sneaky Slytherins she would be spending most of her time this year with.


	2. Chapter 2

Boarding the train, Hermione and the others searched for the compartment that

Draco had claimed for the ride to Hogwarts. They found him in a compartment near the middle of train already laid out on one of the plaid seats, his legs outstretched in front of him and his eyes closed, while his fingers were beating to a mysterious melody on his thigh. Ron, Harry, Ginny, and Hermione filed into the compartment and Ron, Harry, and Ginny took the bench across from Draco, leaving Hermione standing and trying to figure out a way to get Draco to move. Hermione reached her hand out and shuffled his coiffed hair so that it fell slightly into his eyes.

"Hey!" Draco exclaimed "That was totally uncalled for!"

"Well, you're taking this whole seat, you lazy arse." Hermione replied, "And I need someplace to sit."

"But I don't wanna move." He said, dragging out his words like a petulant child.

"Well at least turn on your side so that I have some room to sit. And then when

I leave for the Head's compartment; you can have the whole seat to yourself again."

"Fine, but I want you to know that I'm only doing this because I love you."

Draco said with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Now get a move on." She said, flicking her wrists to further emphasize her point. "I want to have a seat before the train starts to move."

Draco quickly moved to his side allowing Hermione to sit with him. As she settled into her seat, she relaxed, her back hitting the toned stomach of the boy behind her. She rested her head on the seat as Draco's arm snaked forward to settle into Hermione's lap in order to get more comfortable. A grin spread subconsciously across Hermione's face and she settled further into Draco. Ginny, who noticed the occurrence, shot Hermione a knowing glance, which resulted in a grimace from Hermione.

"So Hermione, tell me about these Spanish boys you mentioned earlier. Do tell if there was one in particular that caught the eye of our lovely Miss Hermione Granger?" questioned Ginny.

"Well, there was one...his name was Alessandro, although I did get into the habit of calling him Ale after the first couple of dates. He was really nice and pretty good looking too, but as the summer drew closer we ended the relationship." Hermione stated.

"And what exactly did you do on these dates, Hermione?" Ginny asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Hermione's cheeks heated to a red color, "That's a story for another time,

Ginevera." She replied sternly, while attempting to hide the blush that had overcome her cheeks.

The conversation continued, including what everyone had done that summer. They talked easily, flowing from one topic to another. As the talking and laughter died down to a comfortable silence, Hermione looked at her watch.

"Sorry guys. I have to go to the Head's compartment. Need to meet Head Boy and all of the prefects." Hermione stated as she untangled herself from Draco's grip.

Hermione made her way to the door, stopping to pick up her purse, when she saw

Draco holding the door open for her.

"Draco, you really didn't have to open the door for me. I could've gotten it myself." Hermione said condescendingly.

"What makes you think that I was holding the door open for you? I was just simply headed in the same direction as you were and thought that it would be the gentlemanly thing to do to wait for you." Draco replied.

"But that would mean that you would be going to the Head's department." Hermione stated with a confused expression on her face. "And that would mean that you're Head Boy?" Hermione questioned.

Draco just looked back at her, a smile creeping across his face.

"You prat!" Hermione exclaimed, hitting Draco lightly on the chest, "You've known this entire time that I've been Head Girl and you couldn't once let me know that you were the Slytherin that you were talking about on the platform!" Hermione continued.

"Well, I thought it would be much more interesting to see your reaction," he paused, sweeping her face to look at her reaction "And I can see that I was right." He laughed.

"Now, Hermione, we really must be going. We shouldn't be late, after all we are the Heads and we want to set an example, don't we?" Draco questioned.

"Um...yeah...good example, right." Hermione stumbled.

Confused, Hermione started walking to the Head's compartment with Draco in tow.

She walked blankly, pausing alone to open the door to the Head's compartment and blindly sit down in her seat. Draco took the seat across from Hermione, a smirk spreading on his face.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me Draco." A frown spread across Hermione's face as Draco's guilty conscious began to sink in.

"I'm sorry Hermione. I just thought that you would like the surprise." Draco said truthfully.

"You've known me for seven years Draco, you know very well how much I hate surprises." she responded with a smile.

"Yes, well, I thought that maybe this would be different?" He said in a questioning voice, almost as if waiting for approval.

"I don't know." Hermione sang.

"Please!" Draco exclaimed. "I'll do anything to make it up to you." Draco said dramatically, with a hint of sarcasm.

"Hmmm...I guess I can let this one slide...but you have to be sure to be helpful with the Head's duties." Hermione concluded.

A tell-tale Malfoy smirk spread across his lips. "Like I would be anything but."

"OK, let's get down to business. We need to set up a schedule for the prefects to follow. We'll be doing patrols together, obviously, and I think that we should inter-mingle the prefects so there is no preferential treatment towards any one of the houses with taking away and giving points. What do you think?"

"I think that you have everything ready, as per usual."

They sat in their shared compartment, composing prefect schedules for the first term as well as talking about activities that they could plan for the school. Time flew by and they soon settled into a comfortable talk as they waited for the prefects to join them in the compartment.

"So, this Alessandro, tell me more about him." Draco inquired.

"He was different. I don't really know how to explain it. He treated me like…like no one has ever treated me before. Like I was actually a girl, you know?"

"Was he a muggle?" Draco questioned.

"Yes, yes, he was a muggle, and even though I'm muggle-born, it's one of the main reasons that I broke up with him. It would be way too hard to continue a relationship with someone who didn't know about my powers. I mean it's not as if I can use the owl post." Hermione sighed and looked out the window. "I'm kinda ashamed that that was the main reason that I broke up with him."

"Hey, none of that." Draco replied, noticing the sad look on her face. "It makes a lot of sense that you had to go your separate ways. Not everyone understands our world, and if you thought for even a second that this Alessandro couldn't handle that, then you were right not to tell him," Draco paused and looked at Hermione, her face still contorted in a sad expression as she looked out the window. "Come here." Draco said as he gestured to her to come into his open embrace.

Hermione glanced over to where Draco was seated across from her, her eyes misting with unshed tears. Slowly, she left her seat and made her way over to Draco's arms. She settled into the small area of seat in front of Draco, and he wrapped his arms around her, placing soothing circles onto the small of her back, and playing with the loose tendrils of hair that fell down her back.

"It's so silly." Hermione chuckled, while wiping away tears that had escaped her eyes. "I mean there are so many things that people should be crying about, and a relationship ending never seemed like one that I would waste tears for, especially for one that I ended."

Draco tightened his hold on Hermione, bringing her further into his lap. "You were with this Alessandro for most of the summer, right?" Draco questioned and when he felt Hermione nod against his chest, he continued, "Then it's normal to feel this way. You obviously spent a lot of time with Alessandro, so it's normal for you to feel somewhat upset by the break-up. And who knows, maybe after school is over, you can find Alessandro and start up the relationship again, yeah." Draco reasoned, and placed a small kiss on the top of her head. At that moment, the door slid open to reveal Ron and Ginny leading a pack of prefects.

"Is this a bad time?" Ginny asked with a slight amusement to her voice, taking in the position that she had caught Hermione and Draco in.

"No, not at all." Hermione said, as she moved off of Draco "Come in everyone, we have much to discuss before we get to Hogwarts."

"Now as you all know, I'm Draco Malfoy, of Slytherin House and this is Hermione Granger, of Gryffindor House, and we're you're Head Boy and Head Girl this year. Now, this year, we're really going to strive for House Unity, after all, it has been quite a long time since the Heads have been from two different houses." Draco announced as the rest of the prefects strolled into the compartment. "So, we have decided that this year, you will be placed with prefects from other houses to do your patrols with."

"We also want to strive to make this year amazing for everyone, so if you have any ideas, don't be afraid to tell us. We will try our hardest to put it into action. Now as for prefect patrol partners, the list is as followed: Ginny Weasley and Blaise Zabini, Ron Weasley and Hannah Abbot, Pansy Parkinson and Anthony Goldstein, Padma Patil and Ernie Macmillan" Hermione looked up to see if all the prefects were still following her before continuing, "We will give you your schedules within the next couple of days. I suppose that is all for now, you can go along and meet up with your friends before we arrive at Hogwarts."

Everyone filed out of the compartment, and Hermione flopped down on one of the seats, exhaling a breath of exhaustion. "Well, this is going to be an interesting year, isn't it Draco?"

"Why I do believe that you are right, not surprisingly that is, but it will be one hell of a year."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So I just realized that I don't have any sort of disclaimer put on this story so: I do not own Harry Potter (unfortunately) nor do I own any of the characters. That honor belongs to J.K. Rowling. **

**I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. I do intend to make this a longer story for those of you who were wondering. I hope you guys like this chapter!**

The train pulled into Hogwarts about thirty minutes after the prefect meeting closed up. As the Hogwarts Express rolled to a stop, Hermione turned to Draco.

"Ok, so we have to wait for everyone to file out of the train, and then we need to go around to each compartment to see if anyone was left behind or if anyone left anything." Hermione stated.

"Sounds easy enough." Draco stated, flopping down on the seat, in an attempt to get comfortable until they had to leave to patrol the train. "So besides Alessandro, what else did you do this summer?" Draco questioned, "Wait, that came out wrong, what I meant to say is, what else did you do this summer, besides hang out with Alessandro?" Draco asked, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment as he saw Hermione's cheeks turn into a shade of red that could rival the Weasley's famous red hair.

"It was one of the most amazing trips that I've been on my entire life!" Hermione gushed, "There was so much architecture and art, not to mention how intriguing the culture is there. Did you know that _La Puerta del Sol,_ a plaza in Madrid, is the exact center of the country?" Hermione questioned.

"No, no I didn't." Draco deadpanned.

Hermione rolled her eyes at his indifference before continuing on, "And every year, in this little town named_ Buñol_, they have this festival called _La Tomatina_, and it's on the last Wednesday of August. Well anyway, the whole week leads up to this huge food fight, with the tomatoes that are grown in the area. Everyone is throwing tomatoes, and at the end, when about like 90,000 pounds of tomatoes have been thrown, everyone goes down to the river to clean up. It was so much fun!" Hermione added with a smile, "It was actually one of the last dates I had with Ale before we broke up." She stated, her smile growing dim.

"Alright, stop that." Draco said, noticing the way her face fell.

Hermione looked up at him with confusion in her eyes, "Stop what?"

"You're never going to have a good time this year if you keep thinking about Alessandro. So I say that we make a pact, right here, right now, to stop thinking about and getting sad about Alessandro. Ok?" He waited for Hermione to nod before continuing, "Ok, now repeat after me: I, Hermione Jean Granger."

"I, Hermione Jean Granger"

"Do solemnly swear, that from here on out, I shall not mention Alessandro nor think about him. I will live my life to the fullest degree that I can here at my last year of Hogwarts," Draco continued.

"Do solemnly swear, that from here on out, I shall not mention Alessandro nor think about him. I will live my life to the fullest degree that I can here at my last year of Hogwarts," Hermione repeated, with a roll of her eyes.

"And, furthermore, I will be the best damn Head Girl this school has ever seen." Draco finished.

"And, furthermore, I will be the best damn Head Girl this school has ever seen." Hermione relayed back to him with a giggle.

"Pinky promise?" Draco asked, holding out his pinky, while a smirk played across his face.

'No, that's silly Draco. A pinky promise doesn't mean anything to anyone over the age of five." Hermione retorted.

"Fine, but I'm only giving in because you actually made the pact and repeated back what I said, and I never thought that you would go for that." He said with a smile. "Now come on, I'm sure that everyone is off the train and we still have to patrol to see if anything was left behind."

They patrolled the train quickly, finishing almost as soon as they started. It seemed that this year, no one had left anything in their haste to return to Hogwarts. Slowly they walked to where the rest of the students congregate while waiting for the carriages to pull them to Hogwarts. To their surprise, most everyone had already gone and made their way to the castle, leaving only one carriage left, which was already half full. Hermione stepped into the cart first, looking to see who she would be sharing the short voyage to Hogwarts with. Staring back at her was none other than notorious Slytherin, Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson. Shortly after Hermione got settled into her seat, Draco hopped on and took the seat next to her.

"Blaise, man, I feel like it's been forever since I've seen you!" Draco exclaimed, while pulling Blaise into a one-armed hug.

"So, how was your summer Drake?" Blaise questioned.

"You know same old, same old. Spent the summer in Italy with the parents, tried to ignore them as much as possible, and got ready for the upcoming year as Head Boy."

"Yeah, I heard that you got Head Boy. Congrats Drake." Pansy added.

Hermione sat silent in the corner of the compartment, unnoticed as the conversation flowed between the three Slytherins. She enjoyed being unnoticed in front of the daunting group and not having to join in on the conversation. However, her enjoyment did not last long, as a pair of large, brown eyes traced the length of her body from the top of her hair, down to her boot adorned feet. Suddenly, Hermione felt exposed and very uncomfortable.

"Well, who do we have here? Is it possible that old coot Dumbledore allowed a transfer student into Hogwarts? Hey love, if you get sorted into Slytherin, don't be afraid to come and find me." Blaise drawled, winking suggestively in Hermione's direction, while she curled up into her body as an attempt to hide herself.

"Oi, Blaise, you must be going barmy. Why don't you stop thinking with your bollocks and actually look at who you're talking to and you'll realize that's no way to be treating your Head Girl, now is it?" Draco questioned defiantly.

"Bloody hell, Granger. Is that really you? Never would have thought that under those baggy Gryffindor robes, there was a rocking body. Tell me Granger; care to take me up on that offer I gave you later this year? I don't care that you aren't a Slytherin, we can always pretend. I mean, that is what foreplay is for." He raised his eyebrows in a suggestive manner that Hermione assumed was to make her fall for him, but instead only disgusted her further.

"Shut it Zabini. Don't want Slytherin to start in the negatives with House points this year, now do you?" Hermione shot back

"Whatever, Drake would just double the points that you took away anyway, wouldn't you Drake?" Blaise looked to Draco expectantly, waiting for his best friend to back him up.

"Nah man, not this time. There are some things that are just wrong, and sexual harassment would be on of those situations." Draco said, looking to Hermione and seeing her mouth a _thank you_ to him.

The rest of the ride was an awkward affair, small talk was attempted, but each time, the conversations would fail miserably. There was an audible sigh as the carriage came to a graceful stop outside the gates of school from all of the students. The four filed out of the carriage and started towards the castle. The walk was once again awkward and silent. Five minutes into the walk, Pansy broke the silence.

"Drakie-poo, when we get to the common room tonight, how about we snuggle up by the fire?" Pansy batted her eyelashes flirtatiously, while pushing her arms together in an attempt to push her cleavage up. Hermione had to stifle a laugh at Pansy's blatant attempt to get Draco to notice her.

"Sorry Pansy, but no." Draco said harshly.

"Why, you already have a conquest lined up for tonight?" Pansy accused.

"No, it's because I told you over the summer that I'm done with that aspect of our relationship. It's as simple as that, Pansy."

"Well, whatever. I always have a line of boys waiting to have their turn with me." Pansy concluded, clearly trying to make to Draco jealous.

"Ok then, have fun Pansy. Now we really must go. We have to be at our tables before the sorting starts." Draco started to walk further towards the castle, ending the conversation.

"He's right you know." Hermione stated, as she ran to catch up with Draco, leaving Blaise and Pansy lagging behind as they all slowly walked up to the castle.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to update this, but I had some severe writer's block that couldn't go away DX but I went to a club called Writer's Block and I unblocked myself...imagine that! Ironic, isn't it? So this chapter is nice and long, hopefully it makes up for the long break. So read, enjoy, and tell me what you think!**

By the time that Hermione reached Draco, he was already halfway to the castle. She fell into a comfortable step next to him, as she turned to look at him.

"That was a little harsh, wasn't it? I mean, I know it's Pansy, and Pansy's Pansy," Hermione wrinkled her nose as if smelling something rancid, then continued, "But it seems like she really likes you."

"Listen, Hermione. I already told her over the summer that I'm finished with our 'friends-with-benefits' relationship. And really 'Mione, you think she likes me? There's only one thing about me that she likes, and that just happens to a certain appendage that I have that about half the population doesn't," Draco said, raising his eyebrows and letting out a small laugh as he saw Hermione's face tinge pink.

"You didn't have to phrase it that way, Draco!"

"Well, it's the truth. What other way was I supposed to phrase it?" He questioned.

Hermione stood, her mouth opened with unspoken words, trying to find an answer to Draco's question. She closed her mouth, as she looked and saw Draco's victorious face.

"Oh, hush Draco."

"What ever do you mean, hush? I didn't say anything," Draco reasoned.

"Yes, but your face said everything," Hermione retorted.

'Come on now Hermione, like I said before, we really must go. We really don't need McGonagall pissed off at us, now do we? So, let's go now, shall we?" Draco questioned, as her leaned down to wrap his arms around Hermione's waist and lifted her over his shoulder, and then started to run towards the castle.

"DRACO LUCIOUS MALFOY, YOU LET ME DOWN, RIGHT! NOW!" Hermione yelled, pounding her fists into his back.

"No, I don't think that I will. This is much faster and you do like to be the first one there, don't you, so I think that all in all, this is for the best." Draco replied, as he continued to run towards the castle.

When they finally got to the castle, Hermione spoke up, "Now Draco, can you please let me down?" She finished her question with a giggle.

Before Draco could speak up, the two heard a throat clear from behind them, "Yes, Mr. Malfoy, perhaps it would be wise to let down Miss. Granger. I do not want to have to reconsider the choice for Head Boy, but I will do whatever is necessary." Professor McGonagall warned.

Draco carefully put down Hermione, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment, "Sorry Professor won't happen again."

"You would do well not to, Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall drawled, "Now; I just came to tell you that after the sorting tonight, you are not to go back to your dormitories. Professor Dumbledore and I have some things that we wish to discuss with you. The prefects will take the new students to the dormitory as usual, so you needn't worry about that. Now on you go, the first years should be arriving soon."

"Yes, Professor," the two chorused. McGonagall nodded sternly, turned on her heel, and headed back to the castle

"Well, you heard the woman, let's go," Draco said making a grand gesture with his hands, pointing towards the castle, "What would we do if we missed the sorting? Oh the horror," he drawled sarcastically.

By the time that Hermione and Draco made it to the Great Hall, the first years were just about to go through with their sorting. The two could see the mass of students huddled together in front of the massive doors in front of the Hall. McGonagall was just about to start talking to the group of first years when she saw the two Heads running towards the door, shooting them a glare and pursed lips that was obviously meant to scare, before returning her attention to the younger students in front of her.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. Now, in a few moments you will pass through these doors and join your classmates, but before you take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now while you're here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points. Any rule breaking, and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup," McGonagall finished, and looked over to the spot that had previously occupied by Draco and Hermione only to see that the two had already ventured into the Great Hall to join the rest of their friends. McGonagall looked over the students in front of her once more, some of their faces decorated with wide grins and others with faces of fear, perhaps of being sorted into the wrong house. She turned her back on the students and opened the door to the Great Hall, letting the enchanting ceiling and floating candles illuminate the faces of the students that walked behind her.

The students were huddled in front of an old tattered hat that sat on what looked to be an equally old and rickety chair. Hermione looked at the students in front of her, wondering how many of them were muggleborn, and having their first taste of any true magic. She could remember the feeling that she got upon walking into the Great Hall that first night, sure she had read about it in Hogwarts: A History, but she never truly understood what it was like to be surrounded by magic. In her younger years, before learning that she was a witch, she would read stories about Arthur and his knights, and stories written about the Brothers Grimm, each spinning its own tale about the character of magic, be it used for positive or negative purposes. But when she got to Hogwarts, all those preconceived notions had disappeared. She was immediately taken by the beauty of the grounds, the rolling hills and greenery that encompassed the land for as far as the eye could see. However, nothing could compare to the first time that she had seen the castle. When she had first laid eyes on Hogwarts, her breath was taken away. She couldn't believe the beauty that stood in front of her. Everything had changed for her in that moment. It was then that she fully allowed herself to believe that she was truly a witch and that the whole journey so far hadn't been a crazy dream.

She scanned the faces of the first years from her seat between Harry and Ron at the Gryffindor table. She could see the faces of some of the students in such awe and wide eyes that she could have sworn their eyes would have just popped out of their sockets. There were others who looked smugly upon the scene, like it was nothing special to them, that they were above all that was before them, that they had seen everything that they could possibly see, magic-wise, already. Hermione made a mental note to watch out for those students later in the year. However, all the students radiated the same feeling of excitement and anxiety as they looked towards the old ratty hat that sat in front of them. Hermione knew the feeling, not only as a first year, but in all the subsequent years as well. She always felt anxious as she welcomed the new students into Gryffindor, the place that had provided her a home at Hogwarts for the past six years, and this year was no different. As she looked at the faces of her fellow Gryffindors, seeing the smiling faces of Harry and Ron, the ever-present bashfulness of Neville, the freckled face of Ginny, she couldn't help but peek again at the group of first years in front of her. She scanned the crowd, looking for any of the students who seemed to exude the traits of a true Gryffindor, yet all she saw were hopeful faces staring longingly at the hat placed in front of them. She looked across the room towards the Slytherin table, searching for Draco. She found him sitting with Blaise, Pansy, and who she believed to be Theo Nott near the head of the table. He was laughing at something that Blaise had said, completely oblivious, it seemed, to the sorting which was about to begin.

She began to think about the year ahead and what it would hold. She would definitely be spending more time with Draco and there would be a lot more work to be done, between Head duties, homework, and studying for the N.E.W.T.S. However, none of it seemed to faze her. All she could think about was how this was her last year at Hogwarts and she was determined to make the most of it.

She returned her attention to the first years, who were growing seemingly impatient with every passing minute that the sorting didn't start. As if sensing the tension in the year, the sorting hat sprung to life, giving a little yawn, and stretching out, before starting its song.

_Four noble houses, so strong and so true_

_And I will decide which is the right house for you_

_For eons ago in this very spot _

_The founders created this school for students to be taught_

_Helga Hufflepuff created a place_

_Where diligence, hard work, and patience never disgrace_

_Rowena Ravenclaw valued knowledge, and intelligence, and wit_

_She thought these qualities for a student were the perfect fit_

_And Salazar Slytherin wanted cunning, resourcefulness, and ambition_

_To put a student in the perfect position _

_And we mustn't forget Godric Gryffindor, who was one of the founders too_

_He wanted his students to have nerve, chivalry, daring, and bravery true_

_So now you step up and I will decide_

_Which of these houses in which you shall reside_

After the sorting hat finished his song, the Great Hall sounded out in applause, only to be stopped by McGonagall clearing her throat as a signal that the sorting was to beginning. She unraveled a large parchment, and speaking in a loud, clear voice, spoke the name of the first student to be sorted.

"Rachel Adamson," McGonagall paused waiting for the girl to come up to the front of the crowd, removing the hat of the chair in the process.

A small, timidly looking girl with a mop of blond curls on her head tentatively made her way to the front of the group. From her seat, Hermione could make out a slight blush over the spattering of freckles that consumed her face. Hermione could see the slight shake in her step as she made her way to the seat, clearly aware of the hundreds of pairs of eyes that were on her. She finally got to the stool and sat down, nervously waiting her sorting as McGonagall placed the hat down on her head.

The sorting hat took a deep gasp as he was placed down on her head, "Oh. I know just what to do with you," the sorting hat paused before yelling out, "Ravenclaw!"

There was quiet applause from the other houses of tables as the Ravenclaw house burst out into loud screams and applause at the induction of their newest member.

"Eric Ademan," McGonagall drawled.

A confident looking brunette burst from the crowd. He swaggered up to the stool and sat down, a smirk playing across his lips. _The epitome of a perfect Slytherin,_ Hermione thought to herself. She looked over to the Slytherin table. Most of them were watching the boy intently, some nudging the people to their sides with their elbows. _They seem to think so too,_ Hermione thought. She returned her attention to the front of the Hall where McGonagall was putting the sorting hat on Eric's head. The sorting hat paused momentarily, as if making sure his decision was correct.

"Gryffindor!"

The boy's features radiated shock. One could see it from a mile away. His eyes wide, his mouth hanging open, and frozen to the seat, McGonagall had to lift him by the armpits off of the seat to get him moving towards the table of equally confused, clapping Gryffindors.

Hermione turned towards Ron, "He just exudes Slytherin, how did he get sorting into Gryffindor?"

"He doesn't just exude Slytherin, he was basically bred Slytherin. His whole family has been in Slytherin for as long as student's names have been recorded at Hogwarts. The Ademan's are almost as prestigious as the Malfoy's when it comes down to pureblood notoriety. Sure, there have been some great purebloods in Gryffindor; I mean all of the Weasley's have been in Gryffindor," he added cheekily with a half grin, "but never has an Ademan been in anything but a house related to that of Salazar."

"Oh, wow," Hermione mumbled, turning her attention to McGonagall once again.

"Avery Corclin."

The tiny girl made it up to the stool, where she sat down, looking out to the Great Hall and the rest of the students with a look of awe on her face. She looked up when she felt McGonagall put the hat on her head.

"Hmm, you are very knowledgeable, no doubt a great quality for Ravenclaw" the hat thought aloud, "yet I can see you have a great love for joking and foolery. I know the perfect place for you…GRYFFINDOR!"

There was a thunderous outburst of clapping and shouting emanating from the Gryffindor table. Avery scuttled over to the Gryffindor table, sitting down on one of the long benches next to Eric and a couple of the second years. The sorting went on until each of the two-hundred and fifty students were inducted into the houses that would become their homes for the next seven years. The clapping slowly dissipated, and Dumbledore walked up to the podium in the front of the teacher's table.

"Now before we start stuffing ourselves with the feast," he paused to glance at Ron, the ever-present twinkle in his eye, "Mr. Filch, the caretaker on these grounds, would like me to remind you that the list of prohibited objects that have been forbidden from these halls of Hogwarts can still be viewed in his office. He would also like me to inform you that the list has indeed grown from last year. Also, please note that note that no student is allowed out of the dormitories after curfew and that the Forbidden Forest is exactly what its name suggests, forbidden. I'd also like to congratulate our newest Heads, Hermione Granger of Gryffindor and Draco Malfoy of Slytherin. They are here to help you if you so need it, but do not think that if you are in their house or their friend you will receive preferential treatment. They have been informed that they are to act in the utmost dignity and follow through with all the responsibilities of their jobs, which include the giving and taking away of points. Now, I do feel like I've talked too much, and I've never been one to stand in the way of a good meal, so with that I leave you with a feast," he finished spreading out his arms, and the feast magically appearing on all of the tables in front of him.

Once everyone was finished their eating, they sat back for a while longer, unable to move from all that they had just ate. Most of the crowd had dissipated, the first years left with the prefects and most of the school going back to their dorms to relax before their first day. Hermione and her friends chatted lively about their summers. Hermione was listening to a dragged out tale of how Seamus once again burned his eyebrows off, when she felt a tapping on her shoulder. She looked up and saw the silver eyes of one Draco Malfoy.

"Dumbledore wants to see us in his office now, Hermione," Draco said quietly as not to disturb the story-telling.

"Oh! Okay…hey guys," she interrupted, "I have to go meet with Dumbledore. I should be back to the dormitories soon so just save me a seat by the fireplace, okay?"

"Sure, no problem, 'Mione," Harry nodded his head as a double affirmative.

"Alright, I'll see you guys later then," she sat up, brushed off her pants, and looked to Draco, "Ready?"

"Yup, let's go," he said as he started walking towards the doors of the Great Hall.

"So, what's the password?" Hermione questioned.

"Wizding bubble bats. I swear, these passwords just get crazier every year, and yet you're still adamant that he's not an old bat," Draco scoffed.

"Hey, Dumbledore likes a good joke. I mean, could you imagine every time Snape comes to visit Dumbledore? Snape having to say the crazy phrases are probably most of the reason why Dumbledore chooses his passwords. I mean, picture it. Snape. He's going to Dumbledore because some student made fun of his billowing robes in class and he wants to know what the perfect punishment is for him. So, he goes to that eagle statue and what does he have to do? Say this incredibly stupid password, and you know Snape's disfavor for anything stupid. So, he's just there, already annoyed and he has to say this password. I seriously think that Dumbledore only does this for fun," Hermione rattled off.

"It does seem like something that would be funny," Draco imagined, a smile playing across his lips.

"So, what do you think that Dumbledore wants to see us about?" Hermione asked as they approached Dumbledore's office.

"I really have no idea. Head duties maybe?" He pondered

"Well, I guess that now is as good of a time as any to find out. Ready?" Hermione looked up at Draco

"As ready as I'll ever be."

**Hope this wasn't too non-****dialoguey, but I like the way it turned out. Leave a review so I know what you guys think :D you want more dialogue in the next chapter, or is it cool like this? Until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Oh my god guys! I am so sorry that this took sooooo long to update! College hit me hard in the last couple of months...I had so many essays to write (including a 10 page paper about tomatoes...TOMATOES...I know right) Anyways, after that, I had like three other essays to write and then I had to start studying for finals and this fanfic kinda got pushed aside, which made me very unhappy! I've been working very hard on this chapter and I had to write some parts over like 10 different times. I hope you guys like it! Let me know what you guys think in a review! I love seeing those emails ;) So, without further ado, I give you chapter 5 of Some Things Take Time!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter and I never will. And since I always forget these thingys...this will be the last one for the rest of the story :D

The sound of clicking heels alerted Dumbledore of the two Head students climbing the stairs to his office. Taking the papers spread across his desk, he stacked them on top of each other and placed them in a neat pile in the corner of his desk. He looked up once more, at the sound of a throat clearing, to see Draco and Hermione standing awkwardly in front of him.

"Ah, yes. Come in you two. Why don't you sit down? Would you like a lemon drop?" he asked, gesturing to the bowl of candies in front of him.

"Um, no thanks, Professor," Hermione answered for both of them when she saw the look of disgust on Draco's face, "We were actually wondering what you needed to talk to us about."

"Yes, yes. There is much to discuss. Now as I'm sure you two well know, it has been quite some time since the Head boy and girl have been in different houses. Therefore, I feel that I am obliged to tell you that in such situations, the Head boy and girl will share a dormitory," Dumbledore stated in his almost sleepy voice, "Now, I know this may come as a shock for both of you, not spending your final year in your house dormitories, but do not worry, you will have access to your house dorms, these separate dorms are here to help you get the quiet you may need in this taxing year, with your NEWT's and Head duties ahead of you. I also wanted to discuss what is expected of you as the Heads of school. You have the duties as you did as a prefect; however, there is a slight advance in your responsibilities. You will have longer patrol hours and you will be able to not only give out detentions, but give and take house points. Now if either of you don't have any other questions, you may go to your new dorm. It's behind the portrait of Iris Pivis. When you get there, she should have you two set a password. Now go get to your new dorm and get settled. I'm sure you're eager to see what it looks like," Dumbledore finished.

"Alright, Professor. We'll be seeing you in the morning. Have a good night's rest," Draco nodded his head towards Dumbledore, before looking at Hermione, "You ready?"

"Um, yeah sure. Bye, Professor!" Hermione exclaimed as she turned around to walk back down the stairs.

They were barely down the stairs before Hermione burst into laughter, "Have a good night's rest? Really?" she managed to gasp out between giggles, mocking Draco, "I have never heard you say anything remotely close to that!"

"Hey! The old man just dropped a bomb that we were going to share a dorm this year. I was clearly confused! And what about you, Granger, all stuttering, I didn't know that the know-it-all could stutter," Draco tried to look serious, but the façade faded as his smile cracked through and soon his face also dissolved into laughter as well.

"Alright, alright. Let's just go find our room and get settled. I really wanna see it! Can we go now? Please, Draco? Pretty please? With treacle tarts on top?"

"Granger, we were going anyway. You didn't need to send a pity party after me," Draco teased, rolling his eyes, his famous smirk playing across his lips.

"Sorry, I guess I just got overly excited. I sounded like some first year," Hermione mumbled.

"Hey, no need for that. I was just teasing. Chin up Granger," Draco reassured, taking his pointer finger and hooking it under Hermione's chin to lift her face.

The rest of the walk towards their dorm was silent; the only sound was the echoing of their heels in the empty hallway. They walked for a little while longer until they got to the portrait of Iris, a regal looking woman in a pose that closely resembled the Mona Lisa.

The woman seemed to wake up as the two stopped in front of her. "Ah, so you're the two I've heard so much about. Thank goodness someone is finally filling this room! It's been so lonely all these years without anyone to talk to. Go on dearies, choose a password! I'm sure you're ever so anxious to see where you'll be living this year," the woman, Iris, said excitedly.

"Well, what should be our password, 'Mione?"

Hermione paused for a minute, before suggesting, "How about _amicitia_?"

"Cliché, Granger. Cliché, but I like it. Alright Iris, the password is _amicitia_."

"Oh how lovely! I do love friendship. Alright, _amicitia_ it is! You may enter now," Iris said with a smile on her face, clapping her hands as she swung the portrait open revealing the Head's dorm behind it.

"So m'lady, you ready to go check out our new living space?" Draco smiled and winked, bending at the waist while holding out his hand as he took steps towards the open portrait.

Hermione looked up and him and smiled, taking his outstretched hand in her own, and let him lead her into the common area.

There was an audible gasp from both of them as they fully took in their surroundings. The common area was what Hermione could only assume a mixture of both Gryffindor and Slytherin common rooms. There was a classic mix of gold and silver, with tiny adornments of red and green. A small living area was the first thing in front of them, complete with a couch, loveseat and multiple puffy armchairs. There was a fireplace jutting out from a far wall, already with a blazing fire in its pit and on either side of the fireplace; there was bookshelves lined with different tomes. On the other side of the room, there was a small kitchenette. On the far wall, there were three doors. Two of which had plaques on the front, reading Head Girl and Head Boy. In the middle of the two doors was an unmarked door. Slowly, Hermione and Draco moved through the dorm and up into their respective rooms.

Hermione glanced around her bedroom, seeing that it was fairly simple, having a queen-sized bed, a desk and chair, and an armoire. The room was decked out in Gryffindor colors. Looking around, she saw a door on one side of the room. Curious, she walked towards the door and opened it up. In front of her was a large bathroom. There was a claw foot tub centered in the room, right behind a counter top that took up the entire length of the room. There were two sinks, on opposite ends of the counter. In a back corner, furthest from her room, there was a large shower. The walls were adorned with large cream tiles and the floor was ashen linoleum. Looking around once more, Hermione's eyes settled on another door on the other side of the room. Moving towards it, Hermione reached out to open the door when the handle twisted and the door began to open. Frightened, Hermione jumped back and knelt into a fighting position, silently cursing herself for leaving her wand in her bedroom. Suddenly, the door opened completely, causing Hermione to shout and jump on the mysterious intruder.

"Woah, woah, woah! Granger! What are you doing?" Draco questioned, catching Hermione mid-jump.

"Sorry, I thought you were some sort of intruder," Hermione extracted herself from Draco's arms and stared down at the floor in embarrassment.

"We have been in the dorm for all of ten minutes and you already think that someone snuck in here? And besides, do you think I would let anyone sneak in? I'm much too manly for anyone to even think about sneaking in," Draco puffed up his chest in an attempt to look overly manly.

Hermione burst out laughing, "Okay, Draco. Whatever you say."

"Wow, Hermione. You sure know how to make someone feel good about themselves," Draco fake-pouted and turned his back on her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Draco, will you ever forgive me?" Hermione asked dramatically, a smile still playing across her lips.

"I guess I can. But only because it could get awkward living with you all year and being mad at you," he said, returning her smile.

"Okay, I guess I can accept that," she giggled once before sighing, "So, it looks like we're going to be sharing a lot of space this year…think we can make it work? I mean, it might get a little weird sharing a bathroom and all."

Draco looked Hermione up and down once, before smirking, "I'm sure we can figure something out."

**A/N:** Another quick little authors note...I want to thank my non-fanfiction writer Tim for helping me with this chapter. I honestly don't think I would have ever finished it without his input and the multiple different drafts that I sent him for editing and the multiple different text messages that were exchanged...thanks for helping with my crazy, Tim!


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